Beach shelter outcry prompts call to fast-track replacement

Does anyone think it's time to start a TASK FORCE to stop this mindless breeding of animals by stupid and greedy people who are looking to make a fast buck? IS there not enough evidence that this is the problem that lies at the base of the issue? Where is PETA on this? Can't they make a revolting advertisement to get the publics attention. Oprah is doing it.
Animals are not tennis shoes that you can throw away when you are tired of them. They have feelings and emotions and are not commodities.

Well Jimmyf, that is basically what we do when we build commercial projects. We build all the public infrastructure including necessary roads, bridges, utilities, sidewalks, street lights, storm water facilities, and then build our projects, and all of these improvements are assessed by the city and we pay taxes on them so long as the project exists. Of course, our commercial tenants demand little in services, yet the city of course assesses at 100% of full market value and we pay the same tax rate as residential properties. Generally, a new commercial project on land that had been underdeveloped in the first place will return 20 or 30 times more real estate tax than the previous use. So why these VBTA anti tax zealots oppose commercial development is beyond me. It is like they are working as hard as they can against their own interests. Given the fact that they were rejected at the polls by a 85-15 margin, I guess the voters get it too.

They have to build it and they should build it now no matter what. 1st it the law. 2nd highest tax rate then other citys. 3rd its the right thing to do. 4th The person who was a part of the problem just got something named after them money well spent. 5th if city council can own ocean front property and tax dollars can be spent to make that property look nice (some ice cream spot). What do you think is right.

I vote for taking the money from the pedestrian bridge at Town Center, that no one is going to use, and putting it towards this.

To all of the people comparing homeless shelters and Animal facilities. People can go out and get a job, Animals don't have the option to support themself. And for all of the people that think it is a "waste" of money. Before you call animal control because there is a lose dog or animal in your yard, stop and think were is this animal going to go...
Come on people...

Hows about you developer-types get together, DONATE your talent to the city, the city provides the materials you need and the developers build the new shelter? It seems to me that you developers have spent DECADES profiting from the favorable treatment you receive and the taxpayer dollars that are allocated to the things you want, isn't it about time you started doing something significant to show that you're not just feeding yourselves as the trough?

What if your company, Runnymeade were to do it? Not only would I support calling it the "Animal Shelter at Runnymeade" or whatever you'd like, your company would have a feather in it's cap that would be well-earned, oh, BTW, many of the ladies involved in animal welfare are REAL ESTATE AGENTS who might be more inclined to steer their clients your way.

Something to think about....

There is already a Bayside Rec. Most children in VB (all parts) don't live within walking distance of a rec center. I was at the meeting advocating the shelter, and I heard the rec center people speak. They want council to believe that their children only rob stores, sell drugs, and shoot each other because there is no rec center within walking distance. Wake up folks... Even if the rec was in your own back yard, your kids would trash it and shoot each other outside of it. The animal shelter is a city responsibility and INNOCENT animals are dying because of its condition. Please note that INNOCENT part. The dogs are not shooting each other. They are getting sick and dying or being needlessly put to sleep because of an inadequate building, no vaccinations, and a remote location citizens don't often visit.

Well aalto, it is good to see that you do in fact have a sense of humor, although I am not sure you meant it that way. Perhaps you simply did not read my post as I had said that a PPV with a non profit might make sense for the city. At some point, it would be helpful for you to deal with the very real benefits provided by commercial development instead of avoiding that discussion and simply insulting anyone who suggests that public investment in public infrastructure can create increases in the commercial tax base that can lower the residential tax rate. If in fact a lower residential tax rate is what you want, the tactics you have adopted and advocated are entirely out of sync with that objective, as evidenced by the recent upsurge in commercial assessments that have allowed the city manager to keep the real estate tax rate exactly where it is even though residential assessments have decreased. That's no laughing matter.

Soon as the PPV word went out, the developer in VB is drooling over the possibility of taking tax dollars to fund new development.

So what are you thinking Mike? A new doggie TIF? Doggie condoinimums? Doggie shopping center? A doggie lite rail? Maybe a doggie amusement park or two? Doggie hotel with city subsidized parking garage?

I am sure you can find a way to take tax dollars and turn it into a major investment for the city all geared toward a profit for you.

Once again, aalto reveals the hysteria of the anti tax zealots who once again fail to acknowledge that some investments in public infrastructure result in immediate private investment that results in increases in real estate tax to the General Fund in excess of 20 or 30 times more than the property in its current use. That immediate influx of new tax revenue can be used to finance improvements like a new animal shelter, improved technology in the public schools, or an improved fire station for Thalia. This incessant failure to acknowledge the benefits of commercial development is hard to understand since the result of that development is what helps keep our real estate tax rate as the lowest in the region. The Mayor's call for a possible PPV also makes great sense, and if a non profit is willing to do the expansion in return for lease payments or payments for service, that may accomplish the same thing without a capital outlay from the City. Stop with knee jerk reactions.

Why does everything have to be within walking distance? There already centers with cut backs because of non use. 5 centers that I can remember plus a Y and a Boys/Girls Club. Seems like a drain on the funds to build another and go without a structure in need. Or little lives in need. Could get more attention built where everyone can see it instead of tucked behind a school on a secondary road. Use some of the city's visibly vacant land where people will be inclined to drop in and adopt more often. And build it GREEN!

City council is a joke! The shelter will not get any money from the city. Solution: The money will flow freely for this shelter by telling city council that this will benefit one of their developer friends. See how easy that was!

Many of the comments here are just sickening. A society is judged partially on how it treats its needy. Domesticated animals rely on us to take care of them. But no, it's a recession... we should board up our windows, chew on hayseeds and sit inside our doors with shotguns, refusing to do anything for anyone other than ourselves.

I can't believe the mayor seriously suggested that a recreation center is more important than caring for the city's animals. I understand the value in a recreation center, but there are less costly measures that can be put in place via community programs until the funding for a recreation center is available. This shelter needs to be a top priority.

If you have an ax to grind with PETA, do it somewhere else; your point is irrelevant. PETA is not an animal shelter, and their role is not to care for and adopt out homeless animals.

This issue concerns the City of Virginia Beach and its responsibility to the community. Whether you own a pet or not (or care about companion animals or not), your tax dollars pay for VBAC, just as they pay for libraries, schools, and recreations centers. Conditions such as those at VBAC would never be tolerated in other municipal facilities.

With the econmy being the way it is i don't think building a dog shelter should be a top priority. We should be looking at ways to bring more jobs to the area and how to stop some of these foreclosures. with the increase in foreclosures and job loss i don't hear any talk of building any more homeless shelters.

The animal control shelter will be re-opening to the public on Sunday, May 3. Please come see for yourself how bad things are. It will be open from 9 to 3.

You can also email city council directly and express your concerns. Let them know how you feel about it.

Several have suggested that PETA be approached to help fund a new shelter. PETA spends it's millions, as does HSUS, lobbying legislators to further restrict our rights to own animals. If you really want to know what PETA does go to this website:
www.petakillsanimals.com . On their own website, they list their euthanasia rate for the last year and it was over 95% of the animals they took in. Also HSUS is not affiliated with any local humane society - they do not operate or help support any shelter.

Private fundraisers, raffles, dog walks, and other grassroots efforts will be more successful in generating funds for a new shelter than any help you will get from PETA or HSUS.

Does anyone think that private dog day care places pay that kind of money for their kennels? The price range is $7.5 - $15 million is a total joke, are we talking private offices for employees and animals? I certainly don't want my dogs accidentally getting out and being picked up by the city only to die while in the care of the city. With new laws and STATE inspections, I guess the city should turn the whole thing over to the private sector because they could do it better and for less cost to Joe Taxpayer.

"When I start hearing about the range of cost, it concerns me,” Mayor Will Sessoms said."

Did sessoms care about the $40 million dollar cost of a train track? Did sessoms care about the cost for the devepoer mandated Laskin Road project? Did sessoms care about the $60 million developer mandated cost in town center?

No. The animals did not donate $600,000 dollars to his fraud based election campaign, so he could care less about the shelter.

"Sessoms said he’d like to explore a public-private partnership to improve the pound". Is that felon that build the 31st street hotel going to get taxpayer dollars to build an animal shelter?

That facility WAS 'state of the art', back in 1974!!!

It got VB a HUGE reputation as an 'Animal Friendly' place, back then.

But... 25 YEARS have passed & NOTHING has been updated.

What changed?

Where has city council been?

WHERE IS PETA??? Too busy pissing people off?

Just build the GD'ed thing... but ONLY if the old one can't be rehabbed.